Should Portugal’s top clubs give their youngsters more game-time? | OneFootball

Nuno Mendes. Vitinha. Rubén Dias. João Neves. Gonçalo Ramos. Cristiano Ronaldo. What do all of these players have in common? They all went from developing in Portugal’s “Big Three” academies to excelling in the first team in Liga Portugal to earning moves to Europe’s biggest clubs to impressing for the Portuguese national team.

From an outsider’s perspective, it might seem like that clubs in the Primeira Liga have rinsed and repeated this formula year after year: investing in the academy, fast-tracking talented young players from the youth ranks to the first-team, giving them consistent game-time in Liga Portugal, Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga, and then, once they’ve attracted enough interest, sell them for massive profits. After all, the Portuguese league has been renowned as a vibrant shopping market for clubs in Europe’s top five leagues – as well as other championships like the Süper Lig and more recently the Brasileirão. Teams from these countries know that there is a plethora of homegrown youngsters, as well as promising young talents who, having arrived from South America or lesser-known European leagues have cut their teeth in Portugal, and who are ripe for a move abroad.

Fast-tracking from the academy to a foreign land

However, that hasn’t always been the case. Whilst plenty of academy products have been able to earn their stripes and become fan favourites in Portugal’s top division before heading for greener pastures, there have also been many young players who have taken the shortcut to stardom. From Bernardo Silva to João Cancelo to Rafael Leão, we’ve seen players who, despite skipping this crucial stage of regular game-time in Liga Portugal, have nevertheless earned plenty of success in Europe’s upper echelon. And today, it’s safe to say that fewer and fewer Portuguese sides are utilizing their homegrown prospects in first-team situations. Let’s take a look at how Portugal’s top clubs have used their academy graduates in the first days of 2026.

The very first game of the new year saw back-to-back league champions Sporting Clube de Portugal travel to Gil Vicente on 2 January. There were three Alcochete products in Sporting’s line-up, with teenage revelation João Simões pairing up with Danish captain Morten Hjulman in midfield, whilst Gonçalo Inácio and Eduardo Quaresma operated in central defence. Whereas Quaresma assisted Luis Suárez’s opening goal before the break, his fellow academy product Inácio failed to cover himself in glory after being sent off for a last-man tackle. Just a few minutes later, Carlos Eduardo would equalize in Barcelos to secure a 1-1 draw for the Gillistas.

The next match of the day, meanwhile, would see Vitória end a three-match winless streak and prevail 2-1 against Nacional. A few days later Vitória pulled off a late comeback win against Sporting thanks to an extra-time brace from Alioune Ndiaye (a match that would see academy product Flávio Gonçalves start on the left side of Sporting’s attack). This would land them a spot in the Taça da Liga Final, where they faced off against eternal local rivals Braga. Having kicked off the year with a 3-3 draw at Estrela da Amadora, Braga had defeated Benfica 3-1 to secure their spot in the final. Whereas Braga were vying for their third cup title of the decade, Vitória were seeking just the third trophy in their entire 103-year history (and their first since 2013).

From Vitória’s team, youth products Gonçalo Nogueira and Noah Saviolo started in attack, João Mendes played at left back, whilst Diogo Sousa started in midfield. As for Braga, youth products Jean-Baptiste Gorby and Diego Rodrigues came off the bench, whilst Lukáš Horníček, who became Pardubice’s biggest sale in their history when his loan was made permanent in 2020, started in goal for Braga. Despite falling behind early on, Vitória would come from behind and prevail 2-1 via goals from Samu and Ndiaye and put an end to their trophy drought.

Porto and Benfica overlook homegrown talent

With regards to Benfica, Tomás Araújo has continued to be a regular presence in central defence alongside veteran Nicolás Otamendi. Apart from him, however, there haven’t been a great deal of Seixal products who have played an influential role under José Mourinho. António Silva has alternated with Araújo as Otamendi’s centre-back partner, while Samu Soares, João Rêgo, Rodrigo Rêgo and Henrique Araújo have been forced to content themselves with scarce opportunities, and usually just a few minutes off the bench.

As for Mourinho’s former team FC Porto, Diogo Costa has continued to build his case as one of the top goalkeepers in world football, whilst Martim Fernandes has emerged as a regularly used fixture down the right side of defence. However, other Olival-made talents like João Teixeira and even the hugely talented Rodrigo Mora have not been quite as lucky. In the starting lineups of the Porto v Benfica clash back in October, each club had just one academy graduate in their starting XI, goalkeeper Diogo Costa for Porto and centre-back António Silva for Benfica. The two clubs meet again tomorrow in a Portuguese Cup quarter-final clash, and it is unlikely the situation will be very different. It begs the question: just why aren’t Liga Portugal’s top clubs using their youth products on a more frequent basis?

Context and political reasons

“I don’t have the numbers off the top of my head, but I feel this is a cyclical situation,” stated Portuguese journalist João Pedro Cordeiro. “A few years ago, when B teams were created, the percentage of players developed by the club who were actually used was relatively high. The time will come when that will be the case again, but it will depend on many factors and on the context.

“There is a certain tendency in Portugal when clubs go through some kind of sporting crisis — especially the bigger clubs — to try to make up for those difficulties with strong moves in the transfer market. It is very much a political issue and an attempt to hold on to the fanbase by creating false illusion and expectation. It is also very much a cultural issue. Our main clubs are very much managed from the outside in, with boards following a policy aimed at pleasing the members rather than implementing a well-defined sporting plan.

“On top of all this, nowadays, any club can watch matches from any team in the world, which has made it easier for clubs to target more alternative and financially advantageous markets, ultimately neglecting their youth development. But, as I say, I feel this is always cyclical.”

No lack of talent

It’s evident that Portuguese clubs are still manufacturing premium-level talents, as seen in November’s U17 FIFA World Cup triumph in Qatar, where Portugal won their first-ever title.

It’s also evident that youth products foster a deeper connection with their clubs than players who arrive at the club at 20-23 years of age, having already established themselves at the senior level. However, it’s also undeniable that coaches in Liga Portugal are focused with winning matches and accumulating points far more than they are focused on giving youth talents valuable minutes. And it’s also undeniable that, even without regular minutes, young players are still susceptible to being snapped up by big teams for lucrative fees.

So, just what exactly needs to change in order for young talents to start getting more regular minutes in the top level of Portuguese football?